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Developing employee socio-technical flexibility in a multigenerational workforce

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 September 2016

Carol Flinchbaugh ,
Marcus A. Valenzuela  and
Pingshu Li
Carol Flinchbaugh*
Affiliation:
Department of Management, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, USA
Marcus A. Valenzuela
Affiliation:
Department of Management and Marketing, California State University Bakersfield, Bakersfield, CA, USA
Pingshu Li
Affiliation:
Department of Management, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg, TX, USA
*
Corresponding author: cflinch@nmsu.edu
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Abstract

This paper identifies how management’s intentional use of participatory management practices can heighten knowledge sharing across a multigenerational workforce through the presence of socio-technical flexibility. In this conceptualization, we identify the value of socio-technical flexibility to effective employee knowledge sharing in three steps. First, we define the prominent characteristics of the current multigenerational workforce. Second, we define the behavioral characteristics of socio-technical flexibility. Third, we describe how an intentional use of salient management practices, including reverse mentoring, flexible work roles, and self-managed teams optimizes multigenerational talents to enhance employee socio-technical flexibility, which in turn, leads to multigenerational knowledge sharing. We believe that by embracing the benefits of multigenerational workforce, management can take intentional steps to create a workplace that optimizes effective knowledge sharing behaviors for improved service through salient participatory management practices.

Keywords

knowledge sharingmultigenerational workforceemployee flexibilityHR practices
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Management & Organization , Volume 24 , Issue 4 , July 2018 , pp. 517 - 532
Copyright
© Cambridge University Press and Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management 2016 

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